Who will be the next one to go?

[TOXICITY]

It is really a really hard choice. I'm talking about the game console battle between Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.

Sony:
They lost a lot of money because of the last invention the PS3, but have been very successful with most of the other products they have sold like: Televisions, cameras, DVD players, Music Players, memory sticks etc...But will that be enough to dept from the PS3? Personally I think if their next game console doesn't sell they will drop out.

Nintendo
They are doing a good job with the Nintendo DS Lite and the Wii, especially the Wii. They sold so much Wiis that it is almost impossible to find one in stores. Most people have to resort to Ebay or Amazon to get one. They also have the Super Smash Bros. series which is a huge hit every where in the world! Sadly they don't sell much other than video games and stuff. I think they will survive for a while.

Microsoft
Microsoft not much to say about them. The only game that people really like about Xbox And Xbox360 are the Halo games(1,2 and 3) it is their #1 selling game. People buy Xbox and 360 just for Halo. I don't really see the use, their are much better game than Halo. They are making a bunch of money from their game consoles and their other appliances. They could go a little longer but people will get bored of Halo and stop buy the Microsoft systems.

So after that who do you think will drop first and who will go to the end?

[Kevassa]

None of them at the time, sony has much more power than you think, PS3 will sell more after it gets its more addictabel games, and PSP is very well sold too, I can say that Nintendo WILL NEVER GET OUT OF THE MARKET, they have always been a potency, microsoft on the other hand

[jajaswipo]

yea nintendo is just so likeable. Although i dont have a wii and dont plan on getting one, i have a ds even though i said id never get into on the go gaming. Then i got a psp .

[Carnivol]

If anyone ever were to "leave", it'd really be Sony. But most certainly not "yet".

They'd be "going down with the ship", to put it one way.
They'd be fighting for as long as possible and grasping onto all sorts of straws.

At the moment, in overall, Sony have had a lot of "brand" issues over the past few years (Not just the PS3). And they seem to be merging/knitting together various parts of their brand name in what more or less seems like a desperation move to save the overall image and avoid any direct failures. They've also had some terrible marketing choices with the PS3 and still are doing things that is straight out horribly amateurish and also just frustrative and confusing to the end user.




Microsoft's overall financial background and situation is just "too good" for them to leave the console market.  Though, I could honestly say that I wouldn't be too surprised if their "next generation" of platforms would be more like a personal computer, somewhat like an iMac of gaming, supporting both "PC games" and what would then be "platform specific" titles made especially for it.
MS also "this generation" has a very interesting and strong force behind it. 



Nintendo is always a strong bastard, and I honestly don't think you can "get rid of them".  They will always be taking what can only be called "risky gambles". Nintendo simply wouldn't be "out" as they always seem to have a card or two up their sleeve "just in case". And with the current situation of them having a blast with the Wii and NDS + actually earning money on not just software but also the hardware sales, I think it'd take quite a lot to knock them out financially.

[throughhim413]

I don't see anyone leaving the market any time soon.  Sony still remembers the taste of the PS2 and aren't going to give that dream up easily.  Microsoft did a fantastic job this generation by getting out early and holding on strong.  Nintendo definitely did the right thing by attacking the so called "casual" gaming market.

Honestly, I would expect a new player like Apple to appear on the field before any of the three current players leave.

[jajaswipo]

i think the future of video games is going to be a console with upgradable hardware sort of like a pc, but definetly not as expensive.

[Rhapsody]

It all really depends on whether Microsoft's tactic of throwing money at jRPG manufacturers to build up their Japanese gaming selection actually works. If they start gaining some serious traction inside Japan, then Sony's pretty much had it. If not, we'll likely be stuck at this stalemate for a while yet. There's even the possibility of the world market being split in this console generation, with Microsoft taking America and Europe, while Sony holds Japan. Either way, Nintendo seems to be sitting pretty.

[Goshi]

They lost a lot of money because of the last invention the PS3

The PSP isn't doing too well either since its competing with the popular NDS. Already the PSP game selection is dying whilst the NDS one continues to prosper.

The PS3 will probably pick up once MGS4 is released.

the Wii, especially the Wii.

The Wii is following the same pattern as the GCN though. Weak game selection.

Microsoft not much to say about them. The only game that people really like about Xbox And Xbox360 are the Halo games(1,2 and 3) it is their #1 selling game. People buy Xbox and 360 just for Halo. I don't really see the use, their are much better game than Halo. They are making a bunch of money from their game consoles and their other appliances. They could go a little longer but people will get bored of Halo and stop buy the Microsoft systems.

You've failed to mention how Microsoft's online features are stronger than the other two but along with that, Microsoft are trying to regain Japanese support (Remember, Microsoft made the MSX consoles). Microsoft has higher chance of surviving the console war than Sony too.

[Rhapsody]

(Remember, Microsoft made the MSX consoles).

There is a crucial difference between the MSX and the Xbox here though. The MSX was developed by Kazuhiko Nishi (who was a Microsoft Japan executive at the time) while the Xbox was developed by a small team in the American division lead by Seamus Blackley.

The Japanese as a people seem to give a lot of favour to products developed in Japan. Makes sense really. Japanese products are practically guaranteed a majority share of the second largest economy in the world, which ends up helping that economy remain the second largest in the world. It's dogfooding on a national level.

Microsoft has higher chance of surviving the console war than Sony too.

Neither of them is exactly small, but while Sony is a big company ($1.071 billion net income in 2007) Microsoft is a super big company ($14.06 billion net income in 2007). Given that Microsoft's tactics in recent years have generally involved throwing money at an indifferent market until they achieve massive success, it is probable that Sony's shareholders will end up with brown pants long before Microsoft's shareholders have had enough.

[Kevassa]

I know that I will sound like an old man, but Sony always started in a bad way and ended up winnning money just because of the game selection, nintendo on the other hand always does good games... and doesnt keep up later (N64 and GCN are the proof) so I think that eventually the PS3 will get more recognition, specially with some Square fanboys there, and with all the MGS fans X3

[jajaswipo]

as long as people prefer graphics over gameplay, microsoft and sony will always live...

[Leiw]

I think the Playstation brand is here to stay at least until something called a "Ps4"is released.
Ps3 just needs some decent games to come out and it will be ok, so I think the peak of ps3's existence will be around 2010-2012, the problem is, programming a game for ps3 is 100x more complex than for ps1 and thus takes several years before completition.
That's the reason why less and less third party programmers feel like taking the risk to do games. Or they end up porting games on all possible consoles to try to maximize the money they make off it.
I think anyone who tried the Net Yaroze kit (kind of programming device for ps1) knows how much easier it is to create simple little games on ps1. Back then you didn't need a lot of ressources and money as compared to now.

I think therefor the problem is not the consoles themselves or the companies releasing them but rather the lack of third party programmers. Or do you really want big corporations like EA to release all the games you buy? Also imagine into what kind of crap the GTA series would turn into if T2 ended up being bought by EA. Just look at what happened to the GC and what is happening to the Wii now... Where is the big hype that used to be in the first year of release. DEAD now. And how many Wii games can you consider good and playable for over 1 hour without getting bored ? 1 in 10 ? 1 in 25? 1 in 100?


Also I'm really wondering what kind of nextgen console Nintendo will release as they won't be able to keep up their non-hd mentality for long. but then... VC games would look like crap on 1080p screens unless upscaled and filtered to the maximum

[ForceCube]

as long as people prefer graphics over gameplay, microsoft and sony will always live...

Games aren't only made of graphics and gameplay, you know.

Most Sony / M$ supporters I know, myself included, prefer them because their consoles have lots of RPGs, and RPGs have good stories / interesting characters. We don't give a shit about graphics.

I *despise* Nintendo games exactly because of that: they focus ONLY on gameplay and totally ignore the fact that dialogues / cutscenes / interesting plot details exist. Bring it on, Zelda fanboys.

[jajaswipo]

Games aren't only made of graphics and gameplay, you know.

Most Sony / M$ supporters I know, myself included, prefer them because their consoles have lots of RPGs, and RPGs have good stories / interesting characters. We don't give a shit about graphics.

I *despise* Nintendo games exactly because of that: they focus ONLY on gameplay and totally ignore the fact that dialogues / cutscenes / interesting plot details exist. Bring it on, Zelda fanboys.

interesting because the sony/M$ supporters i know are the opposite. My friends loved lost oddysey just because it LOOKED good. They liked GOW because it looked good. Me, im not so kindly into redundant games even if they are good looking. Nintendo games focus on gameplay? That is 100% accurate and is probably why they will stay because they know that the casual gamers want to have fun, along with hardcore gamers. and if i may ask, are you the turn-based rpg player? As for myself, i usually get pissed at turn based rpg's because characters usually have like a 5 minute intro battle cutscene introducing them where their owning everything around them, killing 100 enemies with one hit. Then you play as them and their only offense is a simple little attack o_O.
Damn i really rambled off topic. But yeah, just name some good rpgs on ps3 and 360 that i can look into.

[spaceworlder]

Whenever I see a Nintendo fan talk about "gameplay over graphics," the original Donkey Kong Country springs to mind.

[Cless]

I remember when Nintendo fanboys had a boner over Resident Evil 4, with the GameCube version having better graphics to the PS2 version (though I wouldn't say the gameplay was really much better in the PS2 version, if not made worse by the PS2's looser, less precise analog sticks). But with the Wii, the mantra is reversed.

Also, I liked DKC1.

Anyway, I don't know if these topics are getting better or worse. It's closing time, methinks.